


more than you know it

by hereforthehurts



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Happy Ending, Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Multi, Parental Hakoda (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Separation Anxiety, Sibling Love, Sokka (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29697897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforthehurts/pseuds/hereforthehurts
Summary: Sokka loved Katara more than anything else in the world. She was his sister. And for a scary moment in his life, she was the only thing he had in the world, too.So when he had gotten a call that Katara had been taken to the ER, it felt like his whole world stopped.OR; Katara gets into an accident, and Sokka is a thousand and three hundred miles away from her.
Relationships: Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 111





	more than you know it

**Author's Note:**

> For febuwhump day 25; car accident !!! I love writing this au so much wkshsjsj i really want to write more soon !! Have a good water siblings fic . I love their relationship so much !!!

Sokka loved Katara more than anything else in the world.

  
  


It was no secret, really. He knows that fact even when it’s buried deep inside him, between his ribs. Even when he wouldn’t admit it out loud to anyone. Even when he’s a thousand and three hundred miles away from her, away from his home.

She was his sister. And for a scary moment in his life, she was the only thing he had in the world, too.

  
  


So when he had gotten a call that Katara had been taken to the ER, it felt like his whole world stopped.

  
  


“What happened?” he asked, standing up from his seat almost immediately. His mind was screaming at him to _run, run and get to Katara now_ —but how? He was in Vancouver, in the middle of his term. All he could do was slowly sit back down while Suki gave him a concerned look from across the library table.

“It was an accident,” Hakoda says from the other side of the call. He sounded tired. “She was crossing the road and it had been slippery from last night’s snow, and this car—”

“Hit her,” Sokka murmurs. Suki’s eyes widen.

“It’s not severe,” He tells her. “Just a broken leg, I think—they haven’t told me more yet.”

“Why haven’t they?”

“I don’t know, Sokka.”

“Fuck,” Sokka whispers. “Fuck. Fuck.”

“Hey,” Hakoda chides gently, “She’s a strong girl, our Katara. It’s going to be okay.”

_There it is again._ “It’s not. Dad—I’m coming home.” He stood up abruptly, stuffing his backpack with his books and papers before swinging them on his shoulder. Suki followed suit, even with the confused look still plastered on her face—Sokka silently thanks her for that. He isn’t sure if he’s going to be able to handle any more questions. “I’m going home right now.”

“Now?” His father asked. “Sokka, she’s going to be okay. I don’t want you to worry about a thing, okay?”

“But _I am_ worried!” He almost yells it. Suki gently pushes him to keep going, guiding him out of the library. “Dad, I—look, if I were—if I were in her position right now, if I was hit by a car, or something—would you have stayed back home? Wouldn’t you be running to come for me?”

  
  


Silence. Suki waits patiently on his side, shielding him from the pouring snow.

  
  
  


Hakoda’s voice was soft when he spoke again. “Oh, Sokka. Of course I would.”

“Then it’s the same for me. I can’t—I have to be there, dad,” he swallows his tears back in. “I have to get to her.”

“Okay. Just be careful, alright? I’ll keep you updated on her.”

“I’ll—I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll see you soon too. I love you, Sokka.”

“Love you too, dad.”

  
  


The call ends with a single note. Sokka slips back his phone into his pocket with shaking hands.

  
  


He stared at the ground for a while, hot tears pooling on his eyelids, watching the snow fall to the ground piece by piece. Sokka knows his dad is trying his best, but he also knows that he’s downplaying how severe the whole thing is, for his sake. And he has to get home. He’d never forgive himself if he was too late for his sister.

  
  


“Hey,” Suki spoke up from his side softly. “You haven’t put on your coat, yet. Come on. Let me put it on for you.”

“I… yeah.” He rasps. He lets his girlfriend slip his coat on him, burying his face on her shoulder when her arms were around him. “I’m sorry that I…”

“ _Hey_. Don’t be.” She squeezes him tightly, a hand reaching up to comb through his hair. For a moment they just stood there in the pouring snow, breaths puffed up into smoke, keeping themselves warm in each other’s arms.

"You’re driving home to Anchorage today?”

“Yeah,” Sokka nods. “I—I have to. I have to be there for ‘Tara.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“And what kind of girlfriend would I be if I let you drive all the way there all on your own with your state of mind?”

He laughs softly. “Okay. I’ll… I’ll pack.”

“I’ll call Zuko.”

“Oh, yay,” he shrugs his shoulder and offers her a smile. “Unplanned road trip time.”

Suki rolls her eyes. “C’mon. We still have a few daylight hours if we want to make it.”

“Okay.” Then he added, “thank you.”

“Oh, don’t thank me,” she smirks. “Thank whatever playlist Zuko will be bringing later.”

  
  
  
  


And just like that, he was laughing again, out of all the odds.

* * *

  
  
  


It was a two days drive from Vancouver to Anchorage—one and a half, if they’re fast. He, Suki and Zuko had been taking turns driving for the whole night, only finally stopping the next morning when all three of them had been exhausted and out of sleep.

Needless to say, as he stood on a hill on the rest area they were stopping at and stared at the snowy piles of mountains surrounding the highway, Sokka was nostalgic.

  
  
  


He misses having these kids of misty, snowy road trips, with homemade tape recorder playlists playing in their old car’s dusty radio. He and Katara used to fight over which song to play next and who gets the front seat—but in the end, it was always the two of them together, leaning on each other’s shoulders on the back seat. Exclaiming in excitement every time they pass something awe-worthy out the car window. Katara complaining about how messy he gets when he eats in the car, and him smearing their food all over her cheek just to annoy the hell out of her.

Because that’s what he does. He’s the big brother. He always was.

  
  
  


“You okay?” Zuko’s raspy voice asked from his side. The other boy was a little jittery, perhaps because of how cold the weather was, or maybe because the whole road trip hadn’t been planned in the first place. Zuko had always been like that. Sokka couldn’t help but feel bad about it.

“Hey. I’m okay.” He rounds his arm around his neck instead—tight wrapped hugs, just how Zuko liked it. Spirits knew he needed it, too. “You?”

“Um. I’m fine.” Zuko lies. “You’re upset.”

“I am, a little.”

“Oh.” Was all that he said. He leans on his shoulder for a moment and wraps his free hand around his waist. “Look, Sokka, I’m not good at consoling people, but… just so you know, I’m still scared of Katara.”

Sokka couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah?”

“No, I meant—she’s strong. And feisty. And she’s… well, if anyone would be strong enough to get through anything, she will.”

Sokka reaches up to comb Zuko’s jet black hair. “Yeah, I know.”

  
  
  


(He doesn’t, but he clings to what Zuko had said anyways. He desperately needed to believe it.)

  
  


“Hey, you two,” Suki parted both of them and places herself in the middle. “Having a moment without me?”

“Ugh, yeah. Boys moment,” Sokka rolled his eyes, and Zuko giggled. “No girls allowed.”

“Ouch. I’m hurt.”

Sokka presses a kiss on her forehead instead.

She nudges him gently. “Any news from your dad?”

He sighs. “No.”

“He’s probably busy taking care of Katara,” Zuko suggests.

“Hey, Zuko’s right,” she nods. “You boys ready to get back on the road?”

“I’ll drive,” Sokka offers. “You two sleep in the back seat.”

“Good.” Suki yawns. “I’m tired. You better be a good pillow for me,” she nudged Zuko and turned around towards the car, Zuko’s arm tightly wrapped around her waist as they talked and laughed.

  
  
  
  


For a moment, Sokka feels the same warmth in his chest, the one he gets whenever he sees his father and Katara together.

  
  


_Family,_ his head tells him.

_Love,_ his heart says.

  
  


Sokka took both suggestions and walked on.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


He was three hours in on the road when his phone rings loudly, waking both Zuko and Suki up.

“What…?” Suki slurs, looking around. “Where’r we?”

“Who’s on the phone?” Zuko asks instead.

“It’s probably someone from class,” Sokka dismissed, not taking his eyes off the road. He knows the road was particularly dangerous after the snow, and he doesn’t want to end up in an accident himself. “You answer it, Zu.”

“Okay,” he shrugs, reaching for his blaring phone from the stand beside him. His eyes widen when he sees who was calling. “Um, you might want to take this one, Sokka.”

“What?” Sokka slammed on the brakes abruptly. Suki exclaims in warning. “Shit, shit, I’m sorry—I’ll pull over, just wait a sec.”

“Hey, _hey._ Calm down, Sokka. Breathe.” Suki says softly, opening the car door as soon as he manages to pull over. “Come on, Zu.”

They switched positions, and soon enough, they were back on the road again, Sokka with the back seat all to himself. His hand trembles when he swipes up on the green button on his phone, even more so when his sister’s voice was the one that greets him.

  
  


“Hello? Sokka?”

  
  


He swallows, feeling Zuko’s fingers tangle between his fingers, squeezing them tight.

  
  
  


“Hey.”

He could feel Katara’s smile from over the phone. “Hey to you too, Sokka. Dad was about to call, but I beat him to it.”

“What… what’re you—what—” he breathes. Tears spill out of his face—of relief, of sadness, he doesn’t know. “What happened?”

“Hey. You don’t have to worry about me anymore, now.”

“What do you _mean?_ I—” he sobs, “of course I do. You’re—” _you’re the only thing I have left in the world._ “You’re my sister.”

Katara sighs softly. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Don’t be,” Sokka smiles and wipes his tears off. “It’s my job. I’m the brother.”

“You are," Katara's goofy tone was back. "The annoying, terrible older brother.”

He lets out a small laugh. “I’ll be there, soon,” he tells her. “Maybe tomorrow morning.”

“You _are?”_ Her tone lights up when she says it. “What? It’s like, a two day’s drive from Vancouver!”

“Yeah," Sokka bites back the urge to say, _I'd come running for you no matter how far you are from me_. "Didn’t… didn’t dad tell you?”

There’s a pause, and then Katara’s voice again, now a little annoyed. “No, he figured out he wanted to surprise me.”

“That’s not fair,” Sokka lets out a laugh. “This is _my_ surprise.”

Katara talks off the phone, and he hears Hakoda’s laugh in the distance. Something explodes in his chest—something warm, something loving, something soft. It reminds him of home.

“I told him that,” Katara tells him. “He said he’ll arrange another one for you.”

“Does this _surprise_ of his have wild berry fry bread and reindeer hot dogs somewhere in it?”

“He said maybe.”

“Can’t wait, then,” he grins. “I’m bringing home Zuko and Suki, too.”

“Oh, fuck yeah. Can’t wait to bully Zuko again.”

“Hey, I heard that,” Zuko speaks up from his side. “Love you too, Katara.”

Katara laughs again. “Okay. I’ll see you soon. I love you, Sokka.”

“I love you too, Katara.” He chokes out his sentence when he says those words.

“I love you more than you know it.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> A Thing™ I've been considering for a while; Zuko and Sokka centric slowburn fanfic in this au where Sokka is dating Suki, but Zuko has a crush on Sokka . 
> 
> The best part ?? Zuko comes home to Sokka's for christmas break. Hakoda adopts Zuko. Katara bullies him instead. Shit Happens.
> 
> Let me know what y'all think :-) !!


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